I
am an undergraduate in the National
University of Singapore. I would
like to seek help in researching
in the area of feminism in Asia.
More specifically, my question
is : Is there such an entity
as Asian Feminism? If so, are
there any appropriate examples
to be found? Thank you- Jo Low

Thanks for your note to Feminist.com--and
for visiting us all the way
from Singapore. In answer to
your question--there is most
definitely "Asian Feminism."
This means mostly that it is
either focused on or coming
from Asians--the feminism part
remains the same regardless
of culture, ethnicity or race.
Most of the information I have
on "Asian Feminism" focuses
mostly on Asian American. For
a broader look, I suggest that
you reference some of the following:

On
April 2nd, 1998--the Asia Society
of New York City will be hosting
a conference on the 50th anniversary
of independence for India and
Pakistan, including what role
feminism has played in the past
50 years.

The Global Fund for Women
supports a number of feminist
projects around the world. Perhaps
you could contact them and ask
them specifically about those
projects in Asia.

As for Asian Americans, there
is a new book-- The
Reader's Companion to U.S. Women's
History (edited
by Wilma Mankiller, Gwendolyn
Mink, Marysa Navarro, Barbara
Smith and Gloria Steinem and
published by Houghton, Mifflin,
Boston, MA, 1998)--which includes
several sections specific to
Asian Americans. The entry on
Asian American Feminism includes
the following:

"...Asian
American feminists extend their
activism from East Asia, South
Asia, Southeast Asia, and the
Pacific Islans across to the
Americas. ...Asian American
women challenge practices common
in Asia, such as arranged marriages,
sex trafficking, female infanticide,
and purdah....Outnumbered by
men more than twenty to one
in the late 1800s, Asian women
came to the US most commonly
as Japanese picture brides,
wedded to husbands they had
met only once, if ever....Asian
American feminists scored a
victory with the federal Violence
Against Women Act of 1994 by
securing protections for battered
immigrant women who previously
risked deportation for leaving
abusive relationships. Asian
American feminists have been
active in establishing domestic
violence services for Asian
women, bringing women's issues
to the attention of the Asian
community and Asian issues to
the women's movement. The works
of feminist writers such as
Maxine Hong Kingston and Janice
Mirikitani also have helped
to define a new sense of Asian
womanhood.....Many Asian women
are less than comfortable with
a label (feminist) so closely
linked to the mainstream women's
movement, where issues of race
and racism loom. ......Regardless
of how they describe themselves,
Asian American activists tackle
both gender and race issues...International
women's coalitions bridge the
distance between Asian and Asian
American feminists......."